Archy Hamilton (Mark Lee) is an idealistic young Australian rancher with a talent for running sprints. WWI has been raging for a few months, and Australia is putting together regiments to help the British war effort. Since he can ride, young Archy tries to join the Light Horse, but is rejected by the local recruiter (who knows him) as he is under age.
At a track event, he defeats charismatic nae'r-do-well and fellow runner Frank Dunne (Mel Gibson) who is intrigued by Archy's desire to join the Army. The pair trek off across the desert, using Archy's survival skills, and make it to Perth, where both are able to enlist. Frank's old mates Barney (Tim McKenzie) and Snowy (David Argue) also join up, though they are accepted into an infantry regiment.
The new recruits are sent to Egypt for training, and have a series of adventures while on leave in Cairo. They express their contempt for the Brits in a rugby game near the Pyramids. The new troops are soon sent into battle in Gallipoli, a narrow, mountainous peninsula on the Turkish coast.
At Gallipoli, Archy and Frank encounter appalling conditions on the ground. The ANZAC (Australian/New Zealand) forces are crowded against the shore, heavily dug in. In places, the only route through to the front line involves running across a gully with a Turkish machine gun at the far end! Since Frank is known to be a fast runner, he is selected as a courier, while Archy goes to the trenches.
A major offensive is called, and the Royal Navy unleashes a terrific bombardment on the Turks. Unfortunately, the Aussie commander's watch is off by a few minutes. He waits for the battleships to "finish them off" before sending his men over the top. This gives the Turks time to re-man their machine guns, and when the signal is finally given to attack, the Aussies are mowed down. During the confusion, telephone lines to HQ are disrupted, so this critical information cannot be relayed to the General-in-charge on the beach.
Frank is sent running at top speed to tell HQ that the attack has failed, and that further assaults will be futile as well. But the General (acting on false information) believes that it has partially succeeded. A second wave will assist in this "breakthrough." Frank returns to the front line with the bad news, and human wave #2 is sent to their doom. He is again sent down to the beach with bad news. This time, the General believes him, but as Frank hurries to call off wave #3, he finds that he is too late. Archy and the rest are sent over, with the young sprinter leading the pack. He almost reaches the Turkish trench before being shot dead.
images in heading from www.anzacday.org.au
Synopsis of the movie courtesy of IMDb website:
Archy Hamilton (Mark Lee) is an idealistic young Australian rancher with a talent for running sprints. WWI has been raging for a few months, and Australia is putting together regiments to help the British war effort. Since he can ride, young Archy tries to join the Light Horse, but is rejected by the local recruiter (who knows him) as he is under age.
At a track event, he defeats charismatic nae'r-do-well and fellow runner Frank Dunne (Mel Gibson) who is intrigued by Archy's desire to join the Army. The pair trek off across the desert, using Archy's survival skills, and make it to Perth, where both are able to enlist. Frank's old mates Barney (Tim McKenzie) and Snowy (David Argue) also join up, though they are accepted into an infantry regiment.
The new recruits are sent to Egypt for training, and have a series of adventures while on leave in Cairo. They express their contempt for the Brits in a rugby game near the Pyramids. The new troops are soon sent into battle in Gallipoli, a narrow, mountainous peninsula on the Turkish coast.
At Gallipoli, Archy and Frank encounter appalling conditions on the ground. The ANZAC (Australian/New Zealand) forces are crowded against the shore, heavily dug in. In places, the only route through to the front line involves running across a gully with a Turkish machine gun at the far end! Since Frank is known to be a fast runner, he is selected as a courier, while Archy goes to the trenches.
A major offensive is called, and the Royal Navy unleashes a terrific bombardment on the Turks. Unfortunately, the Aussie commander's watch is off by a few minutes. He waits for the battleships to "finish them off" before sending his men over the top. This gives the Turks time to re-man their machine guns, and when the signal is finally given to attack, the Aussies are mowed down. During the confusion, telephone lines to HQ are disrupted, so this critical information cannot be relayed to the General-in-charge on the beach.
Frank is sent running at top speed to tell HQ that the attack has failed, and that further assaults will be futile as well. But the General (acting on false information) believes that it has partially succeeded. A second wave will assist in this "breakthrough." Frank returns to the front line with the bad news, and human wave #2 is sent to their doom. He is again sent down to the beach with bad news. This time, the General believes him, but as Frank hurries to call off wave #3, he finds that he is too late. Archy and the rest are sent over, with the young sprinter leading the pack. He almost reaches the Turkish trench before being shot dead.